


Another Chance

by PaintingWithWords (paint_with_words)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Crying, Gen, M/M, Reincarnation, not your typical reincarnation story, yoimythweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 17:52:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13641408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paint_with_words/pseuds/PaintingWithWords
Summary: Talk of reincarnation goes around the rink.  Viktor is intrigued, but Yuuri doesn't want anything to do with it.  This isn't your typical reincarnation story where characters are aware that they're reincarnated.





	Another Chance

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this story for some time. And when I saw that this was a prompt for [YOI Mythology Week](https://yoimythologyweek.tumblr.com/), well, I knew I had to finish it. As usual, I am incredibly late. :-( 
> 
> Also, sexy times ahead...

Viktor watched from the ice as the other skaters began to arrive, ready for another grueling day of training and practice.  He’d already been at the rink for several hours, practicing his own routines in addition to dealing with Yakov’s never ending lessons about how to properly coach a skater.

As a competitor, Yakov drove him harder than he’d ever driven him before, even when he was trying to become a world champion.  Viktor was getting older and he’d lost an entire year of competitive skating when he coached Yuuri.  He had a lot to make up for and not much time to do it.  As a coach in training, he came in at the same time every morning as Yakov so they could talk about the best ways to motivate skaters to help them reach their maximum potential.  He knew he’d made some mistakes with Yuuri, and he needed to learn from them as well as learn to use all the tools at his disposal to spot weaknesses and develop strengths.

Georgi came in looking down at his phone, walking slowly and smiling as he texted someone, most likely his new girlfriend.  Viktor was glad Georgi had found someone that made him happy again.  He’d heard all about the drama at the rink last year when Georgi and Anya broke up, and he was glad he’d missed it.  Yuri and Lilia were right behind Georgi, Yuri with his typical scowl firmly in place.  As soon as he saw Viktor, he snarled at him. 

“I’m going to kick your ass, old man,” Yuri called out as he set his gear down on the benches.  Viktor smiled and waved back at him.

“Good morning to you too, Yura!” he called sweetly and laughed when Yuri’s scowl only deepened. 

A few minutes later, Yuuri jogged in, beaming at Viktor as he unshouldered his backpack by the boards.

“Good morning, my Yuuri,” he said as he skated over.  “Did you drop off Makkachin at the sitter’s?”

“I did,” Yuuri replied, a little breathlessly.  “I’m going to get changed, then I’ll be out on the ice, Coach.”

“Ooh, talking dirty to me already, Yuuri?” Viktor teased, smiling at the blush that dusted Yuuri’s cheeks.

“No flirting in the rink!” Yakov barked at them.  Viktor pouted at Yakov while Yuuri looked down, trying to hide the fact that he was blushing even more.

Practice was fairly normal for the day, although Yuuri did have a little trouble with the quad salchow.  It was still one of the newer jumps in his retinue, and as such sometimes gave him more trouble than the ones he’d mastered long ago.  Even Yuri had a few issues with his jumps, but nothing that couldn’t be worked out with a little more practice.  The one thing out of the ordinary was that Georgi’s girlfriend showed up a couple of hours after practice began, with an older woman in tow.  It wasn’t unusual for a skater’s friends and relatives to stop by the rink, but what was unusual was that a few of the other skaters went over to go talk to the older woman, especially after Georgi talked to them first.  Oh, the conversations weren’t long- only a few minutes and done during a skater’s break- but still.  With Worlds coming up in a couple of weeks, now was not the time for distractions. 

~~~~~

When it came time to break for lunch, Viktor and Yuuri sat down at their usual table.  Mila took the seat by Viktor and Yuri plopped down next to Yuuri.  Viktor hid his smile by taking a bite of the leftover nishime he’d brought for lunch.  Whether he wanted to admit it or not- and everyone knew it was ‘not’- Yuri liked having Yuuri around.  Oh sure, he gave Yuuri endless amounts of grief, telling him on a daily basis how he was going to defeat him, but having the world’s top two skaters in the senior men’s division at the same rink made them both better competitors.  They drove each other on, inspired one another, and they were both the better for it.

“Georgi said I should talk to Svetlana’s teacher when I get my next break,” Mila said as she stirred her chicken and grilled vegetables. 

“You mean that old hag that came in with Georgi’s girlfriend?” Yuri asked.  “I thought that was her grandmother.”

“No, she’s her teacher… or guide…  I don’t know the right English word.  Svetlana is really into mystical things like Georgi, you know?  Anyway, last weekend her teacher did some work with Georgi and she said that Georgi and Anya were together in a past life.  Apparently, Georgi left her for another woman in that life.  So when she left him for another man in this one, she was only paying him back for his sins.  When Georgi found that out, he said he was able to finally let go of his anger towards Anya and forgive her.”

“Hmm.  Sounds like bullshit to me,” Yuri snorted and slurped a spoonful of his solyanka. 

“I don’t know,” Mila said, undeterred.  “I’ve always wondered about past lives.   I mean, if they’re real, then who were we before?  Who did we know?  It’s all so fascinating!”

Viktor couldn’t help but wonder about it himself.  It would be interesting, if nothing else, to talk to Svetlana’s teacher and see what she had to say. 

“Hey, Katsudon,” Yuri muttered, “what do you think of all this?  It’s bullshit, right?”

Next to him, Viktor noticed the subtle change in Yuuri’s posture.  He was always uncomfortable when someone put him on the spot. 

“I don’t really know,” Yuuri began, only to be cut off by Yuri.

“Do you believe in past lives?  Some Japanese people do, right?”

Viktor watched as Yuuri set his chopsticks down on the table and looked down at his half-eaten lunch.  It was clear to him that Yuuri was uncomfortable and preferred not to talk about this subject.  But they both knew Yuri would needle him until he gave in.  He reached under the table and laid his hand on Yuuri’s thigh, offering silent support.  He saw the ghost of a smile pass over Yuuri’s face and fade away as quickly as it had appeared.

“Yes, some do, but not all.  I was taught that your past lives, if you had them, weren’t as important as the life you’re living now.”  He looked up and met Yuri’s intense stare.  “The here and now is the most important thing.”

“That’s not an answer, Pig.  What do _you_ think?”

“I think we should change the subject,” Viktor interjected, coming to Yuuri’s defense. “You seemed to be having a little trouble with your jumps today, Yura.  You should concentrate on those instead of pestering Yuuri.”

“I think you should get your hand off his damn leg, old man,” Yuri grumbled as he went back to his lunch.  “It’s not like we didn’t all see you do it, Viktor.  You weren’t exactly subtle.”

Viktor gave Yuuri’s thigh another affectionate squeeze before he returned his hand to the top of the table.  Mila laughed and pointed at the two of them with her fork.

“You two should definitely talk to her,” she said enthusiastically.  “I would be willing to bet you two were lovers in a past life, too.  That would be so sweet and romantic!”

“Ugh,” Yuri sighed, getting up and taking his bowl to the sink.  “I think I need to go practice some more.  This conversation is making me sick.”

“Good idea, Yuri,” Yuuri said as he placed the lid back on his bento and put it in the refrigerator.  “I’ll go with you.  Can’t let you get ahead of me.”  Viktor watched as Yuuri and Yuri walked out together, giving each other grief about how they were going to kick the other one’s ass all over the ice.  ~~~~

“Seriously,” Mila said, finishing off the last bite of her lunch, “you should talk to Svetlana’s guide.  I’m going to.  She helped Georgi, after all.”

“Maybe I will talk to her, but here’s not the place, you know?  We have work to do.”

“Oh, you’re becoming such a good coach, Viktor!  So serious!  Yakov must be pleased.”

“Not like he’d ever show it,” Viktor said lightly.  He got up and started cleaning out his bento in the sink while Mila washed her container and set it up to dry.

“See you on the ice, Coach Viktor!” Mila teased as she breezed out of the room.

Viktor pondered the conversation they’d just had.  Mila was right: the idea that he and Yuuri were reincarnated lovers was incredibly romantic.  Had they been lovers in a past life?  Was the love they felt for each other the rekindling of a fire they’d felt before? 

He certainly hoped so.

~~~~~

Viktor spent the better part of the afternoon having idle daydreams about reincarnating with Yuuri as he watched him skate through his routines, shoring up his weak points and perfecting the things he already had down.  He didn’t say anything about his fantasies because they were working and despite Yuri’s grumblings, they really did try to keep things professional on the ice.  But he thought about it while he cooked dinner and Yuuri took Makkachin out for her evening walk.  He knew that Yuuri loved him, and he knew how much he loved Yuuri.  If they came back to each other, time and time again, didn’t that mean that they were made for each other? 

He decided to bring it up over dinner.

“You know, you never did answer Yura’s question today,” Viktor said as he took a sip from his glass of wine.

“Which question are you talking about?” Yuuri asked in between bites of his basil chicken.

“About whether or not you believe in past lives.”

“I did answer his question,” he said quietly, pushing up the sleeves of his sweatshirt.  “I told him I didn’t know.”

“Well, do you ever wonder if we’ve lived before?  If we did, then maybe we knew each other in a past life.”

“Maybe,” Yuuri murmured, idly pushing a piece of chicken around on his plate. 

“I’ve never really given it much thought, but I think it would be wonderful if you and I were reincarnated lovers,” Viktor said.  He could picture the two of them in some indistinct setting, different but still recognizable as themselves, meeting and falling in love.  Yuuri only hummed in response, not bothering to look up. 

“What if Mila’s idea is right and we do keep coming back to...” Viktor trailed off as Yuuri suddenly stood up and, without a single word, took his plate into the kitchen.  He pulled a storage container out of the cabinet and scraped the remainder of his dinner into it, then set the plate down on the countertop.

“Yuuri?”  Viktor said, hoping to get some kind of response out of him, but Yuuri ignored him. 

He watched Yuuri put the container in the refrigerator and began filling the sink with water to do the dishes.  He heard Yuuri sniffle once and felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.  Sometimes, when Yuuri got quiet and unresponsive like this, it meant his anxiety was eating at him again.  And the last thing he wanted was for Yuuri to have an anxiety attack.

“Yuuri?”  Viktor called again softly, not surprised when the only response he got was continued silence.  He looked over at Yuuri and could see he was pointedly looking down, careful not to accidentally look up and make eye contact.  Slowly, Viktor got up and walked over to Yuuri.  He noted the tension in Yuuri’s shoulders and the way he furiously scrubbed at every plate and utensil without bothering to look at them.

“Oh Yuuri,” Viktor soothed, placing his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders.  “Please.  Just… just stop for a minute, alright?”  He could feel Yuuri’s shoulders begin to shake and he began to slowly rub soothing circles on Yuuri’s back.  He was about to draw Yuuri into his arms when he heard Yuuri mutter under his breath, “Stupid.  _So_ stupid…”

“Shhh, don’t say such things, love. Come here, Yuuri.” And Yuuri willing went into Viktor’s embrace, burying his face in the crook of Viktor’s neck as he cried. Viktor pressed kisses into Yuuri’s hair and murmured soothing endearments to him. He held Yuuri, rocking him gently in his arms and whispered how much he loved him into his hair. He would hold him like this all night if need be.

After a while, Yuuri leaned back and pulled out of Viktor’s embrace. Viktor gently wiped away Yuuri’s tears with his fingertips.

“You really want to believe we’re reincarnated, don’t you?” Yuuri whispered, still unable to look up at him.

“Not necessarily,” Viktor said softly, wiping away another tear as it rolled down Yuuri’s cheek.  “I do have to admit that it seems like a very romantic idea to me.”  Yuuri scrunched his eyes closed and nodded, obviously upset and trying not to start crying again.

“Why does this bother you, love?” Viktor asked gently, trying to take Yuuri in his arms again, only to have Yuuri shake his head.  “Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

Yuuri took a couple of deep breaths and calmed himself as best he could.  But he still wouldn’t look up at Viktor.

“You are… everything… to me,” Yuuri said, his voice shaking. 

Viktor began to move, meaning to lay a comforting hand on Yuuri’s shoulder, but Yuuri held a single hand up and shook his head again.  The message was clear: don’t touch me right now.  Yuuri closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, gathering his composure.

“I have no way of knowing if you and I knew each other in a past life.  All… all I have to go on is what you mean to me in this one.  You are everything I could ever have dreamed of, and more.  So much more.  I couldn’t have asked for someone as good as you, because I wouldn’t have believed I deserved you, or even deserved to be happy.  And,” he paused for breath, fighting tears again, “you make me… so happy.  Happier than I ever thought I could be.”

“I don’t need anything more than you, Viktor.  You are enough for me.  And… and I hoped I was enough for you.  But… if you need this… to be happy with me, I understand…”

Did Yuuri think that he needed more reasons to be with him, like somehow or another, he wasn’t enough?  Oh, how wrong he was.  The idea of reincarnating with Yuuri was romantic to him, like they were destined to be together, no matter what!  It was like God saying, “I made you for one another.”  But his poor, sweet, anxious Yuuri, who doubted everything good about himself, didn’t see reincarnation as God’s blessing for them, he saw it as a way for Viktor to stay with him, as though he himself wasn’t enough, as though Viktor needed something _more_.  What a fool he’d been.

“Yuuri,” he whispered, pulling him close, “you have made me happier than I ever thought possible!  You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted to share my life with!  Reincarnation… you’re right, we can’t ever prove it.  And I don’t need it to try to make our relationship stronger, okay?  I’m so sorry I made you feel this way, my love.  You, Yuuri, you are all that I need.  You are all that’s important to me,” he said, cradling Yuuri’s face in his hands.

A single tear slipped free and began to roll down Yuuri’s cheek.  Viktor leaned down and gently kissed it away.  Yuuri’s gasp was barely audible, more felt than heard.  Another tear rolled down the other cheek and Viktor moved to kiss that one away, too, with just the barest brush of his lips on Yuuri’s face.

Slowly, Yuuri opened his eyes and looked up at him, his dark eyes full of longing.  Suddenly, it was hard to breathe, but Viktor found enough breath to murmur, “You are everything to me, Yuuri.”

Yuuri closed the space between them, his slightly parted lips almost close enough to kiss.  Viktor felt his breath catch as he looked at Yuuri and felt the stirrings within him of something deeper, something primal.  “Show me,” Yuuri whispered.

Viktor leaned in and kissed Yuuri as though he were kissing him again for the first time.  His hand came up to cradle the back of Yuuri’s head as he brushed his lips over Yuuri’s.  He wanted to take his time and show Yuuri how sorry he was for upsetting him with every kiss, let Yuuri know how much he loved him with every caress.

But Yuuri clearly didn’t want to go slow.  He grabbed the front of Viktor’s shirt and pulled him in, forcing Viktor to follow him as he backed himself up against the wall.  

Yuuri kissed him, rough and hungry, the urgency of his need coming through in every movement, every moan.  Viktor was all too willing to give in to Yuuri’s needs. Viktor drank in every sigh that Yuuri poured into his mouth.  He mewled desperately into the kiss when Yuuri tangled his hands in his hair  and purred when Yuuri stripped him of his button-down.

They left a trail of clothing as they made their way to the bedroom, Viktor closing the door to keep Makkachin out.  Together they tumbled to the bed, Viktor moving to cover Yuuri’s body with his own.  He claimed Yuuri’s mouth again, cupping his face with one hand and using the other to prop himself up.  Yuuri’s kisses always left him breathless and wanting more, but he wanted to take his time, show Yuuri how much he loved him. 

“Tell me what you want,” Viktor purred into Yuuri’s ear as he slowly rolled his hips, grinding his erection against Yuuri’s.  Beneath him, Yuuri threw his arm out, fumbling to open the nightstand drawer.  Somehow he managed it, but there was no way he could get a condom or the lubricant out from that angle.

“I want you, Vitya,” Yuuri said, his voice rough, taking Viktor in his hand and smoothly stroking him.  “I want you… I need you… to show me you want me and only me. Think you could do that for me, Vitya?”

Viktor nodded, not trusting his voice. Reluctantly, he removed Yuuri’s hand and pulled the lubricant and a condom out of the nightstand drawer. He poured lube into his hands and rubbed them together to warm it. Slowly, he traced Yuuri’s entrance, coating it thoroughly before he slid a well-lubricated finger inside of him. Yuuri sighed and arched against his finger, moaning with pleasure as Viktor slowly stretched him. Yuuri pulled Viktor down into a wet, sloppy kiss.

He didn’t slide another finger in until Yuuri begged him to, moaning and gripping the bedsheets.  Only when Yuuri opened the condom and unrolled it on him, breathing against his ear, “Now, Vitya, please,” did he finally slide in.

Viktor caressed Yuuri’s face with his clean hand, only to have Yuuri turn his head and shamelessly nibble and lick at his fingertips, gazing up at him the whole time. He wanted to set a slow and steady rhythm, fighting against the heat of desire coiled low in his belly and the need rising up within him. He wanted to take his time and slowly make love to Yuuri. But right now, what Yuuri wanted, what Yuuri needed, were wet, messy kisses and to be pinned to the bed and fucked senseless by the man he loved.

And Viktor would always do everything he could to give Yuuri what he needed.

Underneath him, Yuuri rocked his hips up and pulled Viktor down so that he slid deeper into his body. Viktor let Yuuri set the pace, let Yuuri’s need drive them both on. He kissed and caressed Yuuri’s face and was kissed and caressed in return. He buried his face in the crook of Yuuri’s neck, reveling in the taste of the fine sheen of sweat he found there. He rose up on his arms and looked down at Yuuri, taking in his half-open eyes and mussed hair and the blush that was just beginning to blossom on his cheeks and chest... God, how he loved seeing Yuuri like this. Knowing that he was the only one who had ever seen this side of his precious Yuuri, that this was for him and him alone… _Mine_ , he thought possessively.

Viktor rode Yuuri’s body, moved in perfect time with him, loving the delicious feel of the tight warmth that surrounded him.  Yuuri’s cock was trapped between them and he reached down and took it in his hand, stroking it in time with his thrusts.  Yuuri closed his eyes and moaned into the back of his hand.  He knew Yuuri was close, almost as close as he was.

Without breaking the rhythm, he leaned down and breathed against Yuuri’s ear, “Come with me, moya lyubov.”  Yuuri opened his eyes and looked up at him.  He nodded and bit his lower lip as his hand came up to push Viktor’s sweat-dampened bangs back out of his face. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Yuuri whispered as he gazed up at Viktor.  “I love you so much.”

And then they were moving together, their hands caressing one another’s faces, moving hungrily over each other’s bodies.  Viktor looked into Yuuri’s dark eyes and felt like he was falling into them, diving into Yuuri’s soul even as he dove into his body.  Yuuri’s breath quickened and he bit his lower lip, whimpering in pleasure.  He could see that Yuuri was almost there and it was all Viktor could do to resist the urge to plunge into him, ride him hard and fast and make Yuuri come screaming his name.  He was so close, so damn close…  Instead, he rocked into Yuuri, changing the angle and dragging across his prostrate, wanting to give him just that little bit of extra pleasure with every thrust.

Beneath him, Yuuri’s face crumpled and he began to tremble, falling out of their perfect rhythm.  His back arched and he moaned, lost in the moment.  Viktor looked down at Yuuri, took in the flush that had spread over his chest and face, saw the first milky droplets leaking out of his gorgeous cock onto his quivering, sweat-slicked stomach, and tumbled over the edge with him. 

He groaned as he made one last, desperate thrust deep into Yuuri’s welcoming body.   Pleasure washed over and through him as his arms gave out and he collapsed on top of Yuuri.  He felt Yuuri’s arms go around him and cradle him as he buried his face in the damp heat of Yuuri’s neck, heard Yuuri murmuring over and over again like some kind of chant or prayer, “Love you, love you, love you.”

After a moment, he removed the condom and rolled over to lie next to Yuuri, softly petting his face with sweaty, lax fingers. Yuuri caressed him in turn, pushing his damp bangs out of his eyes again, trailing his fingers over his cheeks, tracing his jaw. Viktor caught Yuuri’s hand and brought it up to kiss each of his fingertips and placed a tender kiss in the center of his palm.

“Love you,” Viktor murmured and he delighted in the soft smile that spread across Yuuri’s tired face. Yuuri pulled Viktor’s hand to his lips and kissed it just above his ring, then laced their fingers together. They moved closer, each of them wrapping the other in their arms, their legs tangled together at the end of the bed, content to simply share the moment.

They lay like that for a while, quietly caressing and kissing one another as they basked in the afterglow.  Viktor knew it would be so easy to drift off to sleep right here, just like this, with Yuuri in his arms.  They’d done it before.  But a shower now would be so much better than peeling bedsheets off of themselves in the morning.  Viktor helped Yuuri up and they showered together, tenderly cleaning one another.

After they dried off, Viktor let Makkachin into the room.  As Viktor was drifting off, he heard Yuuri mumble something unintelligible in his sleep.  He picked up Yuuri’s hand from its place on his chest and kissed it, just above his ring.   “Love you,” he whispered to Yuuri.  His only response was to snuggle closer. Viktor smiled as he closed his eyes.  He didn’t need anything more than this.  Yuuri and his love were more than enough. 

~~~~~

In the morning, the old woman came to the rink again, without Svetlana this time.  Seeing her ruined Viktor’s good mood.  He kept a watchful eye on her as she unobtrusively took a seat in the middle of the rink, adjusting her multicolored shawl around her.  She could have been any ordinary member of the public who came to observe practice on a daily basis, but considering the stir she’d caused amongst the skaters yesterday and the hurt it had caused Yuuri, Viktor wasn’t inclined to regard her kindly. 

Word had spread about her among the skaters.  Some regarded her with curiosity, others with open disdain, and a few, like his precious Yuuri, avoided her altogether.  Viktor noticed a few of the skaters sought her out when they took their breaks, and he watched their interactions carefully, ready to step in if any of them showed any signs of distress.  But everything seemed harmless and he watched as she handed out business cards to them as they conversed. 

Even Mila went to go talk to her, just like she said she would.  Viktor idly wondered what the old woman said to her.

Viktor noticed her gaze kept drifting to Yuuri and he felt the need to protect him rising like a burning tide in his chest.  He couldn’t stop watching her, and she must’ve felt him staring, because she kept staring back, challenge evident in her steely gaze. 

“Vitya!” Yakov barked at him after he popped a jump for the second time, “for the love of God, take a break!”  Viktor glided off the ice and sat on the bench with a huff, full of nervous energy and the need to do something…

Mila skated over and sat down next to him.  “You look angry,” she said in greeting, slipping her skate guards on.

“I’m not angry,” Viktor replied more forcefully than he meant to, bending to tighten his laces.  “I’m just not happy about that woman being here.  We’re supposed to be practicing.  She’s distracting and she has no place here.”  He cast a look towards Yuuri and watched as he continued warming up. 

“Is this Viktor the coach or Viktor the fiancé?” Mila teased gently, following his gaze to Yuuri.

“Does it have to be one or the other?” he snapped.

“I guess not,” she answered.  “I take it you haven’t talked to her yet then?”

“No, and I have no intention of doing so.  Why?  Did she say something about me?”  Mila pursed her lips, obviously considering what to say.   

“Oh God, please tell me she didn’t say something about Yuuri,” Viktor fretted, his voice low.  Because if she did, if she came anywhere near his precious Yuuri, he’d physically toss her out himself.

“No,” Mila said as she turned to look at him.  “She said that you and Yuuri have already figured out what you need to know, like you always do.”  Viktor scoffed and took a drink from his water bottle to avoid swearing.

“That’s incredibly vague,” Viktor snarled.

“Much of what she says is vague,” Mila replied.  She was about to say more when Yakov spotted her sitting next to Viktor on the benches and yelled at her to get back on the ice, that it wasn’t anywhere near her break time.  She offered him an apologetic smile as took her skate guards off, stepped back out on the ice, and skated off to go appease Yakov. 

Viktor stared out over the ice, gradually becoming aware of the fact that someone was coming down the stairs.  He looked over to see that the old woman had gotten up and was making her way towards him.  He pointedly ignored her and kept his eyes on Yuuri as he finished his warmup and skated through his routine.  Viktor watched him with a keen eye, noticing that he seemed more relaxed and self-assured today.  When Viktor realized why, he smirked and chuckled to himself.  Maybe he needed to fuck him senseless every night until Worlds.

“It is a good thing you have found one another again,” the old woman said, her voice rough and rheumy.  So much for his improving mood…

“Please, don’t start with me,” Viktor said, not taking his eyes off of Yuuri.  “I’m not interested in whatever you’re peddling.”

“Of course not,” she replied, not unkindly.

Narrowing his eyes, he turned to look at her to show her that he wasn’t afraid of her.

“You’re fishing for clients,” he said, barely keeping the scorn from his voice.  “You won’t find one in me.”

“I’m well aware of that,” she answered. “So instead I will give you a gift.  The two of you are always happiest when you find one another.  When you don’t, you spend your lives searching for the other one to complete you.”  She coughed, a harsh, wet sound.

“That was so vague as to be meaningless,” Viktor said disdainfully.  “If that’s what you’re offering as a hook, you should get a new line.”

“I say different things to different people,” she said, “I tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.  As I said, it is good you have found one another.  I pray Russia will be kinder to him this time.  Take care of him.  He will take care of you.”

“Go live a good life with your lover, Viktor Nikiforov, and marry him sooner rather than later if you wish to avoid trouble.”

“You need to leave here,” Viktor said, what little patience he had gone like morning fog.  “Leave here and don’t come back.”

“I was already on my way out, but I thought you needed to hear what I had to say.  Don’t worry, I won’t be back, and you won’t see me again in this life.”

He watched her as she walked out, glad to see her go.  He was still dealing with the anger she’d stirred up when Yuuri skated over to him.

“What did she say?”  Yuuri asked, breathless.  Viktor sighed and smiled at him.

“Nothing important,” he replied.  “Yuri was right.  What she says is bullshit.”

“So why do you look upset?”

“Because she upsets people,” Viktor sighed.  “She stirred up so much shit with her useless talk that you got upset.”  He stood up and leaned against the boards, getting closer to Yuuri.

“I don’t like it when people upset you.  I really don’t like it when I’m the one that did it because I was an idiot.  I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“You didn’t mean to upset me, Vitya,” Yuuri murmured.  “Who knows?  Maybe we have known each other before in past lives.  I’ll never know for certain.  But what I am certain about is that I’m only going to be Yuuri once.  You’re only going to be Viktor once.  And I love you.  That’s more than enough for me.”

Viktor felt the big, dopey smile that Yuuri frequently caused spreading over his face.  He looked down at him and saw the answering smile on Yuuri’s face.  And then Yuuri’s fingers were gripping the front of his shirt, pulling him forward…

The heat of the kiss was warm and familiar.  So were the catcalls breaking out across the rink.

“Hey,” Yuri yowled, “do the two of you need to get a room in every life?” Light laughter rippled around the rink.

“If we’re always this lucky,” Yuuri murmured against his lips and gave him another quick kiss, then skated away before Yakov could scold them both for flirting on the ice again.

~~~~~

Miranda stood on the beach, the faint breeze coming in off the ocean lifting her hair, but she barely felt it.  All of her attention was focused on her outstretched right hand and the golden band on her ring finger.  She watched as the ring picked up the light from the setting sun and almost seemed to glow.  Softly, she sighed, marveling once again at how incredibly lucky she was.  Overhead, she heard the lonely cry of seagulls.

Why did staring at her wedding ring, glinting in the sunlight, seem so familiar, like she’d done it before?  They’d only gotten married last week-

Suddenly, Miranda felt disoriented, as though she was in another place entirely.  The rich, intense hues of sunset were replaced by the weak, washed-out light of sunrise.  The warm breeze had disappeared, replaced by a bitter, cold wind.  Her fingers were too long, too pale, but her ring…  Her ring was essentially unchanged, glowing golden on the ring finger of her right hand.

“Still looking at it?” Sadhana said from behind her, throwing her out of her reverie.  Miranda turned to look at her lovely wife as she came up beside her, slipping an arm around her waist.  She smiled and pulled Sadhana close and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“Of course I am,” she said.  “I’ll never get tired of looking at my wedding ring, because it means I’m lucky enough to be married to you.”

Sadhana laughed and held her own hand up next to Miranda’s.  The sun caught the glow off of both of the rings, lighting them up like fire.

“What were you thinking about just now?” Sadhana said.  “You looked lost in thought.”

“Oh,” Miranda murmured.  “It was nothing.”

“Fine.  Keep your secrets to yourself. See if I care.”

Miranda pursed her lips, unsure how to answer.  Could she tell her she’d just had a very strange experience, some weird little fantasy or something that felt more like a memory, but one that wasn’t hers?

"I was looking at my ring, but suddenly it was like I was somewhere else," Miranda murmured against Sadhana's hair.  "It was like I was _someone_ else."

Sadhana laughed and kissed Miranda's sun-warmed shoulder. 

"That sounds like a past life experience to me," she said.  "I've had one before.  They're very disorienting."

"Tell me about it," Miranda said. 

Sadhana pulled away a little, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.

"Do you remember when I had to give a speech at the first conference we attended together?  Well, just before I was due to go out on stage, I got really nervous.  I was scared and my heart was racing and I couldn't breathe.  I was terrified."

Miranda frowned.  Sadhana was the most confident person she'd ever met.  She was brave and absolutely fearless. 

"And then you walked up to me and put your arm around me.  Suddenly, I wasn't facing a curtain about to go out on stage, I was looking out over a crowd.  My dress was gone and I was wearing this skintight black bodysuit.  There were flowers in my arms and an attractive man with pale blond hair had his arm around me.  And I wasn't afraid anymore.  I blinked and it was all gone.  I was back in my dress, waiting behind the curtain, and you were there with your arm around me." 

Sadhana gave her a quiet smile. 

"It's the only past life experience I've ever had, but I'm certain that you were that man who had his arm around me."

Miranda leaned in and kissed her wife.

“Now come inside and help me make dinner,” Sadhana said, taking her hand.  

Miranda smiled and walked up the beach, following after her beautiful wife.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! As always, comments & kudos are appreciated. You can read more of my fics [here](http://archiveofourown.org/users/paint_with_words/works).


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